Radar-Based High Precision Thickness Measurement for Rolling Mills

Nowadays, hot and cold rolling of steel strips is mainly monitored by optical or radiometric measurement systems. In some production stages, however, conventional systems still face challenges due to harsh environmental conditions or other influencing factors. To meet some of these challenges, a prototype system consisting of eight radar sensors for thickness measurement of steel strips in hot and cold rolling mills is being developed. It provides an accuracy in the micrometre range and is being optimized for the conditions in the mill. After finishing the laboratory tests, the radar sensors will be implemented in an industrial measurement gauge and tested in the field. In the following, the system setup and results of laboratory measurements are presented.